Instead of the standard spiced rice stuffing, these zucchini are packed with a Greek-seasoned lamb mixture.

We may be heading into fall, but there is still a wealth of fresh vegetables to be found at the farmers markets. Recently, I found the cutest round zucchini and knew I had to stuff them with something.

A spiced rice stuffing is sort of standard, and certainly makes a delicious side dish for roasted or grilled meats. But I had friends coming for dinner and wanted to make the squashes into a main course.

I picked up some ground lamb, not quite sure what direction I was going, but wound up using Greek-inspired seasonings. They were perfect. I baked them on a bed of lightly seasoned diced fresh tomato, but you could easily use canned diced tomatoes instead. Those adorable round zucchini don't show up every day, but this would be equally successful with good-size long zucchini.

I know there are lots of folks who don't like lamb. If you are one of them, do this with lean ground beef.

I served the stuffed zucchini with rice pilaf and a green salad, and it made for a lovely casual dinner.

Alyce Mantia Price owned Mantia's International Foods in East Memphis for 13 years. She blogs about food at mantias.blogspot.com. Contact her at alycem@msn.com.

Greek-Inspired Lamb Stuffed Zucchini

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

6 medium zucchini

1 lb. lean ground lamb

2 green onions, with about 2 inches of the green part, finely chopped

2 or 3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 cups fresh tomato, cored and diced (see note)

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

½ cup dry red wine

— Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Scrub the zucchini. Cut a slice about ¼ inch thick along the length. Using a melon baller or small spoon, hollow out the center, leaving a shell ¼ inch thick. Chop the sliced-off tops and the center and reserve.

4. In a shallow casserole just large enough to hold the zucchini in one layer, spread the tomato chunks evenly. Sprinkle with the garlic, drizzle on the wine and season lightly with salt and pepper. Top with the zucchini and cover loosely with foil.

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the top is browned and the lamb is done through, 10 to 15 minutes more. To serve, spoon some of the tomato on each plate and top with the zucchini.

NOTE: Instead of fresh tomato, two 15-ounce cans of diced tomato with garlic, including the juices, can be used.